Two-piece container lid

ABSTRACT

A two-piece lid ( 10 ) for a product container is provided and includes a base ( 102 ) attachable to the container, wherein the base having a corner portion, wherein the base defines a first opening ( 106 ) and a second opening ( 108 ) having a smaller size than the first opening, and the second opening having a depression ( 110 ) at the corner portion. The product container also has a single cover having a major portion ( 116 ) for removably covering the first opening and a minor portion ( 118 ) for removably covering the second portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface and the minor portion of the cover has a skirt portion ( 120 ) on the bottom surface of the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit the depression on the base.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to a two-piece lid for a product container, and more specifically a lid with a base attachable to the container and a cover covering the base for retail packaging.

Containers fabricated from plastic, paperboard, and/or corrugated paperboard material are often used to package and display goods for retail marketing. Product containers are important to marketing, storage, and dispensing of product. At least some known containers are recloseable, such that a consumer may remove product and securely maintain the remaining products in the container, However, at least some such containers include opening(s) which may limit consumer access if the size and orientation of the opening(s) are not properly designed. Sometimes a consumer may want to dispense a product one at a time and at other times may want to dispense multiple products at a time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, a two-piece lid for a product container is provided and includes a base attachable to the container, wherein the base having a corner portion, wherein the base defines a first opening and a second opening having a smaller size than the first opening, and the second opening having a depression at the corner portion, and a single cover having a major portion for removably covering the first opening and a minor portion for removably covering the second portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface and the minor portion of the cover has a skirt portion on the bottom surface of the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit the depression on the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an example embodiment of a two-piece lid with the cover in an open configuration.

FIG. 2 is top perspective view of an example embodiment of a two-piece lid with the cover in a closed configuration from the lid shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the example embodiment of FIG. 2, wherein the cover is removed from the base of the lid.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the example embodiment of FIG. 2, wherein the cover is removed from the base of the lid.

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the example embodiment of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Provided herein are embodiments for a two-piece lid for a product container with a base and a single cover covering the base.

The lid for a product container herein overcomes the limitations of known lids. The two-piece lid includes a base that is attachable to a product container and a single cover covering the base. The base has a first opening and a second opening having a smaller size than the first opening. Having two openings on the base enables consumers to choose whether they want to dispense one product at a time through the second opening or several products at time through the first opening. The base also has a corner portion at the second opening. Having a corner portion on the second opening helps to guide product pieces in a targeted manner when the product piece is being dispensed.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in certain embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from a plastic material. The plastic material can be polypropylene, polyethylene, and any number of appropriate plastic materials that can be molded. In alternative embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from any suitable material, and therefore is not limited to a specific type of material. For example, in alternative embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from at least one of metal, paperboard, cardboard, fiberboard, foamboard, corrugated paper, and any other suitable material known to those skilled in the art and guided by the teachings herein provided. As shown in FIG. 1, lid 10 has a base 102 and a cover 104 that covers the base. The cover 104 and base 102 may be transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque and may be colored or not. In certain embodiments, portions of the cover 104 include printed graphics, branding, or nutritional information that are printed on or on a sticker. A product container for a two-piece lid of the present invention may have an overwrap for tamper evidence or to increase shelf-life.

The lid 10 has a rounded square perimeter but it can be understood that the shape of the perimeter may be a rounded rectangle, or any other shape that would have at least one corner portion. Having a lid with a rounded square or rectangular perimeter and a product container with a similar shape would maximize space for a container and at the same time minimize the material.

The base 102 has a first opening 106 and a second opening 108. The first opening 106 may be bigger than the second opening 108 or in other words the second opening 108 may be smaller than the first opening 106 of the base. The second opening 108 may be substantially triangular in shape. As well, the second opening 108 also includes a depression 110 which may be at a corner portion 112. The depression 110 at a corner portion 112 helps in dispensing product pieces from a container. At the depression 110, a groove 144 may be positioned at the bottom of the depression to better guide product pieces to dispense out from a container. Product pieces that can be dispensed from a lid of this invention include confectionery products like chewing gum, mints, hard candies, chewy candies, gummies, chocolates, or caramels. Products that are to be dispensed from a lid of this invention can be of any suitable size and shape. Examples of such shapes include pill, block, flat stick, pillow, round, rectangular, triangular, and any combination of same.

Additionally, the first opening 106 of the base 102 may also have a second corner portion 114. At the perimeter of the base, there may be a ledge 138 that is configured to fit the cover 104. The ledge 138 and the cover 104 may be configured so that the lid 10 has a flat top profile to provide a clean look for a consumer. As well, having a flat top profile also aids in stacking multiple containers on top of one another for easier fit and storage in bigger cases that would hold multiple containers.

The cover 104 has a major portion 116 and a minor portion 118. The major portion 116 removeably covers the first opening 106 and the minor portion 118 of the cover removeably covers the second opening 108. The cover 104 has a bottom surface and a top surface. On the bottom surface of the cover, the minor portion 118 has a skirt portion 120 on the bottom surface of the cover 104. The skirt portion 120 is sized to fit the depression 110 of the base 102. In another embodiment, the skirt portion 120 may also have a side wall 128 on both sides of the skirt portion 120. The side wall 120 may further have a protrusion 126 so that the cover 104. The side wall 120 would frictionally engage with the base 102 to keep the lid 10 in a closed configuration. On the major portion 116 of the cover, a ridge 124 may be on the bottom surface of the cover 104 to frictionally engage the base 102 so that the cover 104 would remain closed. There may be protrusions or flanges on the ridge 124 to better engage the base 102.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 104 has a tab 122 on the major portion 116 and a second tab 124 on the minor portion 118. The tabs provide a place for the consumer to easily open the cover 104. The tabs may protrude slightly outside the perimeter of the base 102 so to provide easy access for opening the lid 10. In an embodiment, the cover 104 has a hinge connection 130. The hinge connection 130 works to join the major portion 116 and the minor portion 118 of the cover. Furthermore, the hinge connection 130 is configured to allow the cover 104 to pivot along a first hinge 134 and a second hinge 136. The first hinge 134 pivots the major portion 116 and the second hinge 136 pivots the minor portion 136 so that the lid 10 can be in an open or closed configuration.

Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the first opening 106 of the base and the major portion 116 of the cover are oriented in a way to provide a first dispensing direction for product pieces. The second opening 108 and the minor portion 118 are oriented in a way to provide a second dispensing direction which is substantially opposite of the first dispensing direction. In alternative embodiments, the dispensing direction may be in the same direction, perpendicular to each other, or any other direction to one another. It will be appreciated that any number and size of openings and corresponding cover may be present in the lid 10 of the present invention.

With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in the example embodiment where the cover 104 is removed from the base 102, a better view of the detailed aspects of the lid 10 are shown. The cover 104 can be connected to the base 102 by at least one snap-fit connection. Specifically, a snap-fit connection can be made by having a bar 142 on the base 102 with one or more holes 140 which can fit a peg 132 in the hole. The peg(s) 132 disposed on the bottom surface of the cover 104. There can be one peg, two pegs, or three or more pegs to each snap-fit into a hole on the base 102. The bar 102 may align to the hinge connection 130 part of the cover. Alternatively, the cover 104 can be connected to the base 102 by at least one welded connection. A welded connection can be made between the cover 104 and base 102 by using adhesive or heat to join the two pieces together.

In an embodiment, the lid 10 is configured to have a snap-fit connection with a container. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 102 has a rim 146 at the bottom edge 152 of the base. The rim 146 has a perimeter that is slightly smaller than the bottom edge 152 of the base. The rim 146 can also have one or more flanges 148. The flanges 148 are protrusion from the rim 146 that can connect to a container by a snap-fit connection. A flange 148 can be on the corner portion 112 of the base 102. Alternatively, a flange 148 can be on straight portions of the base 102. There may be one, two, or even up to 8 flanges on the rim 102.

With reference to FIG. 5, the depression 110 has a depth D₁ measured from the top edge 150 of the base and the bottom of the depression 154. The base 102 has a depth D₂ measured from the top edge 150 of the base and the bottom edge 152 of the base. In an embodiment, D₁ may be more than ¼ (one fourth) of D₂. In another embodiment, D₁ may be more than ½ (one half) of D₂. In another embodiment, D₁ may be more than ⅔ (two thirds) of D₂. The depth of the depression D₁ can in relation to the depth of the base D₂ can be configured so that a consumer will have an easier time dispensing product pieces. The bigger the opening, the easier it is to dispense product pieces but the opening cannot be too big when the purpose of an opening for a consumer is to dispense one or a few pieces of product. A base 102 having a depression 110 allows for smoother dispensing but still allows only one or a few pieces of product out of the container.

Example embodiments of a two-piece product container lid are described above in detail. The lids are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of systems and/or steps of the methods may be utilized independently and separately from other components and/or steps described herein. Although specific features of various embodiments of the disclosure may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the disclosure, any feature of a drawing may be referenced and/or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.

This written description uses examples to illustrate the disclosure, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A two-piece lid for a product container comprising: a base attachable to the container, wherein the base having a corner portion, wherein the base defines a first opening and a second opening having a smaller size than the first opening, and the second opening having a depression at the corner portion, and a single cover having a major portion for removably covering the first opening and a minor portion for removably covering the second portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface and the minor portion of the cover has a skirt portion on the bottom surface of the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit the depression on the base.
 2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the cover is connected to the base by at least one snap-fit connection.
 3. The lid of claims 1 and 2, wherein the major portion and minor portion of the cover are joined by at least one hinge connection to allow the cover to pivot.
 4. The lid of claims 1 to 3, wherein the major portion of the cover has a top surface and a bottom surface, and the bottom surface having a ridge to frictionally engage with the base.
 5. The lid of claims 1 to 4, wherein the major portion and minor portion of the cover comprises a tab on each portion.
 6. The lid of claims 1 to 5, wherein the depression has a depth that is more than ¼ (one fourth) the depth of the base.
 7. The lid of claims 1 to 6, wherein the depression has a depth that is more than ½ (one half) the depth of the base.
 8. The lid of claims 1 to 7, wherein the depression has a depth that is more than ⅔ (two thirds) the depth of the base.
 9. The lid of claims 1 to 8, wherein lid has a shape selected from the group consisting of a rounded square and a rounded rectangle.
 10. The lid of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a second corner portion at the first opening.
 11. The lid of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first opening and major portion define a first dispensing direction and the second opening and the minor portion define a second dispensing direction and the first and second dispensing direction being substantially opposite.
 12. The lid of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a side wall on the skirt portion of the cover to frictionally engage with the base.
 13. The lid of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cover is connected to the base by at least one welded connection.
 14. The lid of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cover is transparent.
 15. The lid of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cover is semi-transparent.
 16. The lid of claims 1 to 15, wherein the lid is configured to have a snap-fit connection with a container.
 17. The lid of claims 1 to 16, wherein the base has a rim with one or more flanges on the rim configured to snap-fit with a container.
 18. The lid of claims 1 to 17, wherein the base and the cover are made of plastic. 